Archbishop of Sydney

A fitting day to reflect on life in the lucky country

Australia Day

By + Cardinal George Pell
Archbishop of Sydney
30 January 2005

Australia Day should be more than a “day off”. It should be an occasion to celebrate our history, what we have inherited, our achievements, while not being blind to our failures.

Sydney is not the whole of Australia and we aren’t obliged to accept Paul Keating’s verdict that if you don’t live in Sydney you are camping out! But Sydneysiders do celebrate Australia Day. It certainly means something important here.

The Hyde Park fair was thronged until late afternoon as was the traditional display of vintage cars in College Street. As usual thousands came through St Mary’s Cathedral, one of the city’s best known landmarks. They were welcomed by a roster of volunteer guides and the belltower was a special attraction.  Probably the numbers were not as large as last year when it rained and more people came in for shelter as well as having a look!

We Australians can be quietly proud of the genuine compassion across the country for the victims of the tsunami. The level of donations is unequalled in our history. Whether rich or poor, Catholic communities did their bit. The Vietnamese Catholic community in Sydney collected $120,000 while North Sydney – Lavender Bay parish donated $81,000 on the first weekend. Their parish priest suggested that it would be a good idea to round things off at $100,000 and they obliged willingly.

Dr Fiona Wood was an excellent choice as Australian of the Year. A wife and mother with six children, she is a medical doctor who has developed a new way of treating burns, dramatically improving the victims’ chances of health and happiness and reducing their suffering. She is another example of the old adage that if you want something done well you should ask a busy person.

Khao Do, the Young Australian of the Year, is a reminder of the talent and loyalty many of the refugees have brought to us.

His acknowledgement of the help and welcome his family received from many old Aussies, of the set backs they encountered here in Australia and of their perseverance and success was mirrored by another couple I met.

I attended the celebrations at Cockle Bay, where a huge good humoured crowd of mainly young people and families watched the fireworks. This couple had come to Australia 40 years ago from the Middle East. They wanted the freedom to work hard and live in peace. They, with their children and grand-children, have all done well and have visited their close relatives who emigrated to USA and UK.

They would not swap their Sydney situation for any other and were eloquent in their gratitude for the opportunities here.

Australia is immensely better for their coming and the arrival of millions like them since World War II. This happy experience is a model for the future.